


The Quelus-Kishev Diamond

by Unholy_Author



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: AU, Faked Death, M/M, Time Skips, Violence, no one reads these tags, non-specified au setting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 15:33:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14718813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unholy_Author/pseuds/Unholy_Author
Summary: Prince Lucrius was never supposed to die. Seshe was never supposed to see it happen. None of this was ever supposed to happen.





	The Quelus-Kishev Diamond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LiterallyThePresident](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiterallyThePresident/gifts).



> Mary, I hope you're proud of how many feels this gave me. I know no one reads these stories but you, but man I put work into this.

“Follow him today. He’s been acting oddly,” Seshe said, looking at Ila seriously. “He’s dismissed his guards for the day, and he won’t say why.” Ila nodded.

“I’ll trail him.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m getting nervous,” he muttered. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

“You’re always nervous. It’s what makes you cute,” she said, pinching his cheek lightly and then patting it as he scowled.

“Go do your job,” he said grouchily. She laughed again and waved as she turned and left.

“Yea, yea. Don’t let yourself worry all day.” Seshe rolled his eyes slightly at her back. She was ridiculous, but she was a good friend and always did her job well. He trusted her.

~~~~~

Seshe’s comm rang just a few hours later, and he took the call absently as he looked over a new report.

“This is…”

“Seshe, something’s wrong,” Ila interrupted. “Lucrius went up to the roof, and he lost the close tail you put on him.” Seshe was already standing up and heading out the door.

“Which roof?” he asked darkly.

“Northwest, main castle,” she said. He hung up instead of replying, hurrying through the castle.

The staircase to the roof was locked, and when Seshe patted his hip for his keys, he realized he’d left them in his office. Quickly, he called Ila.

“Where are you? I can’t get to the roof,” he said, voice slightly panicked.

“North tower,” she said quickly. “I think there’s someone with him.” Seshe scowled as he ended the call, sprinting to the tower stairs and taking them two at a time.

“Ila, what’s going on?” he demanded. Her lips were pressed together tightly, staring down the sight on her sniper rifle.

“Look for yourself,” she said, handing him the gun. He frowned slightly but pointed it where she had, careful to keep his hand entirely away from the trigger, and glanced down the sight.

Lucrius was scowling at a man in front of him, and they were both very clearly having an argument.

“Who is that?” Seshe muttered.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before,” she replied.

“Find out. Now.”

“Will do,” she said, snapping the best picture she could from so far away and trying to get a good enough look at his face to analyze. Suddenly the man pushed Lucrius and Seshe sucked in a breath as his prince was shoved to the ground. His finger slipped onto the trigger as the man pulled out a gun, pointed it down at Lucrius, who was scrambling away and holding a hand up, begging.

A shot rang.

~~~~~

Seshe was numb, staring down at the body.

“Sir?” the mortician asked quietly. “We need an identification.”

“I killed him,” he said quietly. “I killed him.”

“Seshe, you didn’t kill him,” Ila said, wrapping an arm around his waist and squeezing lightly. 

“I could have shot whoever was up there. I could have saved him. I just…didn’t shoot,” he said.

“You’re a pacifist, no one expected you to. I should have noticed. I should have taken the gun from you.”

“You were doing what I told you to do,” he said hollowly. What he told her to do. It was his fault she couldn’t shoot. His fault he couldn’t shoot. His fault.

“It’s the prince,” Seshe said. “It’s Quelus-Kishev.” He stared at the body for another moment before turning and walking out as Ila spoke to the mortician. 

~~~~~

“I’m friends with someone working in the labs. The prince was shot straight in the face. They had to bring in the spymaster to identify him, the queens couldn’t bear to see him until it was confirmed who he was and…” the man straightened, eyes going wide. “Seshe, I didn’t see you-”

“Don’t,” he said, eyes narrowing. “It doesn’t matter who can hear you, you don’t speak about things you don’t understand. It never helps you, and it can put you in a very precarious place.” The man nodded, not quite meeting his eyes as the woman he was talking to tried her best to melt into the background. Seshe stared at them for a long moment before walking past them, and being very careful not to slam the door.

Seshe stood in the middle of his office for a moment and then turned and shouted angrily, shoving all the things on his desk to the floor and collapsing in his chair, burying his face in his hands, and sobbing.

It took him ten minutes to pull himself together. When he did, he sent a message to the queens. The reply came only a second later.

‘Come to the throne room.’

~~~~~

“I can find him! Please, just give me the time! With the picture Lisylra managed to pull of the man’s face, and questioning who was on guard duty that day, I can find him. All I need is the time!” Seshe pleaded. Nemil reached for Oli’iadavend, who took her hand and stared down at Seshe.

“Our answer is final. Our son is dead, and we want justice just as much as you do, but there’s a way to go about this. Sending an assassin is not how we get things done,” Teelan said.

“I’m not an assassin, I’m a spy,” he started.

“One who’s never killed anyone before,” Ollie said. The words weren’t meant to hurt, he was sure, but they felt like an accusation. Seshe flinched slightly.

“I know, my queens, I know,” he said quietly.

“Qjan, it’s admirable that you want justice for our son. You’ve never let our family down,” Neemil said, voice weak. Both of her wives went quiet and looked at her, Teelan squeezing her hand lightly. “But this is not how we do this. I’m sorry. We can’t sanction this.” Seshe let out a slow breath.

“Then, this is my resignation,” he said firmly. Ollie slowly stood as the other two blinked at him hugely.

“Qjan, think very carefully about what you’re about to say,” she said slowly. “You are our spymaster. If you left us, you would take very valuable information with you. There’s no way we’d be able to allow that. If you take that back, we can pretend none of this happened. If you leave your position…”

“I’ll be monitored my whole life by people who will kill me if they so much as think that I might be a risk,” he said. “I understand.”

“Please, think about this. Take a day to decide,” Teelan said. Seshe hesitated, but nodded.

“Very well. I will take a day.” They all seemed to relax, and Neemil gave a thin smile.

“Thank you,” she said. He nodded and bowed, turning to leave when he was dismissed.

He would not fail his prince again.

~~~~~

“Teach me to shoot.” Ila looked up, raising an eyebrow at Seshe as he stood next to her vanity.

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m leaving early tomorrow morning. I’m finding who did this to our prince, and I’m bringing him here. But I need to know how to shoot,” he said firmly. She leaned back and looked at him incredulously.

“Do you seriously think I can teach you to shoot in one night?” she asked incredulously. He blinked.

“How…hard can it be?” he asked slowly. Her lips twisted into a scowl and he backpedaled instantly. “I mean, I’m sure it’s very skilled, and you do very good work and you’re great, but I don’t need to know how to pierce an ear from a mile away, I just need to shoot.” Ila frowned at him.

“Why? Who are you taking with you? What kind of mission is this, anyway?”

“It’s not. I’m leaving my position, I’m leaving the kingdom. The queens wouldn’t sanction a mission,” he said. Ila stood and turned to him, eyes wide.

“Seshe,” she said slowly, “,think about what you’re doing. You’re leaving the kingdom? For some guy that’s going to get hunted down anyway?” Seshe sighed and rubbed his face.

“Do you remember how I got this position, Ila?” he asked quietly. She smiled softly.

“I remember my mother bringing me to the castle grounds to show me her troops, and seeing this chubby little kid,” she grinned as she poked his round stomach, “,who clung to the corners like moving two feet from a wall would kill him.”

“Because the queens let me stay when my family was decimated and my mother beat me and the two siblings I still had left. Because I’ve been here my whole life, and made it my duty to protect and serve them,” he said. “I’ve given this family my whole life, because they saved it. I won’t let this go.” Ila stared at him for a moment and then sighed and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him.

“I love you, Seshe,” she sighed. “If I can’t change your mind, I’ll support you in any way I can. You’d better call me, do you understand me? You call me every single day.” Seshe hugged her back tightly and nodded.

“I’ll call you as often as I can, but you and Lisylra are both going to be monitored when I’m found missing.”

“Then send a damn letter. But you do not leave me out of the loop,” she said firmly, pulling back to scow at him. “Find the son of a bitch, drag him back here, and do it before someone takes your job because I’ll stab them with a fork.” Seshe couldn’t help a light laugh, and squeezed her again.

“Don’t stab anyone until I get back. You never cover it up well enough.” She beamed.

“Get back in time to stop me.”

~~~~~

“You must be Bluebell,” a woman said, approaching Seshe’s table. He glanced up and looked over her.

“How do you know that name?” he asked suspiciously. She sat down across from him and set a gun on the table.

“Nightingale sent me,” she said with a smile. “My name’s Bella. She told me you’d want to see my weapons and make sure I stayed on my side of the table. That’s my only gun, and I’ve got a knife on my ankle.”

“Show me,” he said, eyes narrowing slightly. She sighed and propped her leg up on the table and drew up her pant leg, which drew more than a few eyes and showed Seshe a pearl-handled dagger. He raised an eyebrow. That knife looked an awful lot like one of Lisylra’s.

“Alright. And who’s your friend watching from three table down?” he asked without ever looking away from her. She glanced over her shoulder and then back at him.

“Nightingale said you were good. That’s Rahjen, she’s just here to make sure you’re not crazy.”

“Our friend didn’t tell you I wasn’t crazy?” he asked, almost amused.

“She said it’s been six months since she’s seen you and your paranoia’s gotten the better of you,” she said bluntly. “And that, for some reason, you need this.” She set a bag on the table and Seshe quickly grabbed it and glanced inside, something tight in his chest loosening.

“Thank you,” he said gratefully. She trailed a fingertip along the table for a moment.

“So, why do you need that much monkshood?” she asked. He shoot her a look.

“The less you know, the better. Tell Rahjen she’s focusing too much on me. She’s missing the man at the bar staring at you.” Bella’s eyes widened and she turned to look at the bar. “No, don’t look. Glance out of the corner of your eye,” he said. She frowned but did as he told her.

“The ginger?”

“Good. Tell Nightingale that I said hi, and that I’m getting close,” he said as he gripped the bag and stood, walking out.

~~~~~

“Tell me what I need to know,” Seshe said, crouching in front of the man tied up on the floor. “If you do, I’ll give you the antidote.”

“You’re insane!” he snapped.

“You were on guard duty the day the prince was killed, and you quit a week later. Tell me why that is,” he said calmly even as his stomach flipped.

“I’d been thinking about quitting for a while, and they were going to be hiring more guards anyway, I just thought it was a good time!” he exclaimed. Seshe sighed.

“If you don’t help me, I won’t help you.”

“I’ve already told you everything! I didn’t see anything that day, I swear! Who are you, why do you even care?”

“If I answered that…” he started.

“You’ll have to kill me?” the man asked with a roll of his eyes. Seshe frowned. 

“Pushing me isn’t a good idea. At this point, your joints should start aching, and you should be feeling hot. That’s your immune system going into overdrive and starting a fever. But it won’t burn away the poison. It’ll heat your organs and cook your brain until you can’t function and you die,” he said coolly. The man suddenly looked a little scared. Were his joints starting to hurt? Did he feel hot? Oh stars, he felt hot.

“I-I think I may have seen someone coming out of the back stairwell,” he stammered out.

“And why didn’t you say this before?” he asked with a scowl.

“I wasn’t sure, I didn’t get a look at his face,” he said quickly. “Please, I need the antidote!” Seshe rolled his eyes as he stood.

“I don’t have an antidote,” he said. The man’s eyes widened.

“What? You’re going to kill me! My organs are going to shut down!”

“Will you stop shouting for five minutes?” Seshe snapped. “Monkshood doesn’t roast you, you dumbass. I didn’t even give you enough to kill you. You’ll just be very sick,” he said. He started to turn, but paused and undid the binds just enough that the man could get out with some work.

As Seshe walked out, the man yelling behind him, he called Bella.

“Hey, Bluebell. What’s up?” she asked.

“I need footage from the castle,” he said, walking through the house and out onto the street, where he pulled his hood back up. There was a long pause on Bella’s side of the line.

“You want footage from the castle,” she finally said. “I thought you didn’t want Ila involved any more than she needed to be?”

“I didn’t say it needed to be her. I don’t care how it’s done, but I want the back stairwell footage from that day.”

“The back?” she asked incredulously. “But no servants were there.”

“Bella, please, just do it,” he sighed, exhaustion and guilt weighing on him. He didn’t need to really poison the man, he could have just said he did. He didn’t need to leave him alone. Should he go back? No, he may be out already. He may be looking for Seshe.

“Bluebell? Is everything okay?” Bella asked gently.

“Fine. Call me when you know how I can get the footage,” he said, hanging up quickly. He sucked in a deep breath. He didn’t say this often, but he really needed a drink.

~~~~~

Seshe followed dead-end after dead-end. He drank more in that time than he had in years. And a month before the anniversary of Lucrius’ death, Bella called.

“Hello?” Seshe asked a little groggily. He hadn’t slept in nearly forty eight hours. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his prince on the ground trying to get away from the gun pointed at him.

“Seshe?” a voice asked, a voice that was definitely not Bella. Seshe was suddenly very awake.

“Lizzie?” he asked in disbelief.

“Hey, boo,” she said, relief clear in her voice. “I’m glad I got to call you.”

“Where’s Bella, what’s going on? Is everything okay?” he asked, looking around as his paranoia spiked.

“Bella’s fine,” she said quickly. “Everyone’s fine. I just knew you would feel safer if I called from her number instead of mine.”

“Less traceable,” he agreed. “It’s been a long time, Lisylra. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too,” she sighed happily. “This place isn’t the same without you.” Seshe glanced around the ragged room he was staying in for that week, the worn carpet and sagging bed.

“Yea, it’s not the same without you, either,” he murmured. “What have you been up to?”

“A lot,” she laughed. “There’s so much I want to tell you, so much I want to ask, and I…was hoping we might get a chance to talk in person.” Seshe paused for a moment.

“What do you mean?” he asked slowly.

“It’s just…the anniversary of the prince’s death is coming up,” she said softly. “If you came, I’m sure no one will notice one more person. The queens are planning three days of mourning, people from all over the kingdom are coming. I don’t know where you are, I don’t know if you’re even on planet. I thought I’d just give you the idea, give you time to decide.” Seshe took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I don’t know, Lizzie,” he nearly whispered. “I failed him. I’m the reason he’s dead.” She sighed heavily, breath almost static-y across the line.

“It’s not your fault. It was never your fault.”

“I’ve got to go,” he said, sensing a speech about forgiving himself and moving on. He hung up before she could answer and sat on the bed heavily. He rubbed his face and just tried to breathe. One year. One year without Lucrius. Without the man…

He needed a drink. Several, actually.

~~~~~

Seshe managed to hop ships back to his home planet, hood up and head bowed. He set foot back on the planet, in the kingdom, for the first time in nine months the night before the one year anniversary.

He slowly walked through the streets, looking around at what had changed, what had stayed the same. He felt so…out of place. He didn’t belong here anymore. He was such a different person. He shivered slightly with the cold and went a little faster.

Seshe found the house he wanted and glanced around as he knocked quickly. The windows were dark and the house seemed still, so he knocked again, a little louder. A light came on up on the second floor, and a few lights came on trailing down to the door before it got yanked open.

“It is _two in the damn_ …Seshe?” Ila asked, holding her robe closed with a hand and blinking hugely at him. Seshe raised a slow eyebrow.

“Ila. Is Bella home?”

“Uh, yea. She’s in bed. Holy shit, get in here!” she said, grabbing him and dragging him inside before shutting the door. She hugged him tightly and then pulled back, nose wrinkling. “Why do you smell like booze?”

“Ila?” a sleepy voice called from upstairs. “Who is it?”

“Come down and see. Wake up the others,” Ila called back. “Come on, we have so much to talk about,” she told Seshe, guiding him to the living room.

“I know this is last minute, I’m sorry. I didn’t even know I was coming until the day before yesterday,” he said. She waved an absent hand.

“Don’t worry about it. Do you want anything? Something to eat or drink?” she asked as he sat on the couch. 

“Just water, please.” There were footsteps on the stairs and he glanced over his shoulder to see Bella, Rahjen, and Lisylra all in varying states of sleep. Lisylra perked up as soon as she saw him, though.

“Sesh?” she asked with disbelief. “Seshe! Oh my god!” she exclaimed, bolting around the couch to slam into him with a hug. He smiled, the first in a long time, and hugged her tightly. He buried his face in her hair and his eyes welled when he felt her shoulders shaking.

“Don’t cry,” he said with a small smile. “I’ve never seen you cry over a little hug.” She laughed loudly and pulled away, wiping at her face.

“Shut up, you jackass. I haven’t seen you in a year, I didn’t know where you were or what you were doing. I get to cry.”

“Hi, Bluebell,” Bella said with a shy little smile as she sat down in one of the chairs. He gave her a small smile.

“Good to see you again.”

“Yea, you too. How have you been?” He shrugged and didn’t elaborate. After a moment, Lisylra broke the silence.

“Here for the anniversary?” she asked softly, sitting next to him. Ila came back and handed him a glass of water, which he took with a grateful nod.

“I’m here for the three days, then I’m leaving again,” he said. “I’m following a promising lead.”

“Yea?” Ila asked. “I hope you find him soon. Or you just come back.” Seshe took a sip of water instead of answering. He couldn’t come back. Not until the man who killed Lucrius was dead.

“Well, no matter.” Rahjen said in her quiet, firm way when the silence stretched on too long. “You can take the guest room for as long as you want.” He smirked.

“Oh, you don’t need it with two guests?” he asked innocently, and all four women exchanged a glance. Ila started to reply and he raised a hand. “How long have you all been together?”

“Uh, Bella and Rahjen have been together for a few months,” Lisylra said. “Ila and I started dating a bit after you left, and we all got together a month or so ago.” He smiled softly.

“I’m glad you’re all happy together.” He wished he’d gotten a chance to be with someone. He wished he’d had something more than unrequited love that was never going to go anywhere.

The women showed him the guest room and settled him in, then went back to bed together. For the first time in a long time, Seshe thought the bed was too big.

~~~~~

Seshe stayed inside during the day, too afraid that he’d be recognized. He watched the queens’ speeches on the television and the mass mourning procession. He felt numb. Nemil looked like she’d lost a lot of weight. Ollie looked angry. Teelan looked like she wasn’t getting enough sleep. Seshe wondered how he looked.

A vigil was announced for that night. In the square in front of the palace, candles and any gifts for the prince were to be brought. Candles were to be lit in homes, a reminder that he would never be forgotten.

Seshe’s eyes burned when he saw the queens each light a candle as they held each other.

“Seshe?” Lisylra asked softly. “Will you be okay on your own?” He turned and glanced at her over his shoulder.

“I’m not a child,” he said.

“I know, I know, I just…don’t want you to feel alone. You’re not. We’re all here for you,” she said. He softened slight and looked back at the screen.

“I know.”

~~~~~

That night, Seshe decided that if it was dark and there were enough people, he could risk going to the vigil. He dressed in darker clothes that usual and pulled a hood over his face before he slipped out onto the street, following the flow of slow foot traffic to the square.

Once there, someone handed him a white candle with a paper wax blocker that seemed a little too big for the candle. As another person offered to light his candle, he took off the guard and dropped it in a trashcan.

“Thank you,” he murmured, turning and heading further into the square.

Despite the large number of people slowly filling the space, it was remarkably quiet. Low whispers built up to a quiet bubble over the crowd. On the far side of the square, by the stairs to the palace, was a blown up picture of Lucrius. He was smiling, eyes crinkled happily. Seshe couldn’t look at it. 

After several minutes, a priest and the queens came out into the square. The queens were all wearing mourning clothes, and the held each other as the priest spoke, silencing the crowd.

“Tonight marks the one year since the death of our prince Lucrius,” he began, and instantly Seshe felt himself shutting down. He turned more and more numb as the priest continued. He spoke about spirits and how Lucrius was part of the spirit of the planet now. Seshe wasn’t sure he ever believed in that, but Lucrius did, so Seshe listened and stared at him unblinkingly even when the wax from the candle started dripping down onto his hand. He didn’t even flinch at the slight pain. The whole ceremony was perhaps thirty minutes, the queens making only brief comments the entire time, electing to hold each other instead.

Seshe felt so guilty. He’d let this happen. He should have pulled the trigger.

Once the ceremony was over, flowers were laid down by the picture and people began to walk away. In groups, in pairs, the crowd dispersed. But Seshe stood there after the queens went back inside. He stared at the flowers, the discarded candles and crumpled wax-covered paper guards. He wanted to look at the picture so badly. He wanted to walk over, to look the picture in the eyes and say he was sorry. Instead, he stood there and stared at the flowers.

“Bluebell?” a voice asked softly. Seshe turned his head slightly, glancing at the woman next to him.

“Lizzie,” he said.

“You okay?” she asked softly, looping an arm through his and gently taking the candle. 

“Fine,” he said instantly. Lisylra sighed and started picking at the cooling wax on Seshe’s hand.

“No, you’re not. But you will be. I…was talking with the girls. We want you to stop,” she said slowly. Seshe turned and looked at her.

“What?”

“Stop looking for the man. You haven’t had a solid lead in ages, and it’s tearing you apart. You’ve spent a _year_ trying to make up for the prince’s death, but you didn’t do anything wrong. You can live with Bella and Rahjen, and we can help you find your own place further away if you don’t want to be this close to the palace,” she said, trying to rush her words so he couldn’t interrupt. Seshe scowled at her, face twisting the longer she spoke.

“I can’t stop. Not now. I’ve put too much into this, into bringing justice…”

“This isn’t justice anymore, this is revenge,” she said, frowning at him. “You’re not doing this to make things better, you’re doing this to get even.” Seshe pulled away from her, glaring at her.

“Go home,” he said a little coolly. She blinked, startled.

“Bluebell?” she asked.

“I need to cool off,” he said. “I’ll be back. I’m not running.”

“If you’re not home tonight I’m hunting you down,” she said with a frown, not even trying to seem teasing. 

“I know,” he said. She could never catch him, even if she tried. But he wouldn’t leave her, especially after promising that he’d be there.

Lisylra stared at him for a long moment before nodding.

“Okay. But I’m not backing down. Think about what I said, okay?” He frowned but nodded.

“Fine. I’ll see you later.” She nodded back at him, turned, and started heading back, blowing out the candle on the way.

Seshe walked down another street, going slower than he strictly needed to. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept his head down just in case someone recognized him from when he lived there.

~~~~~

It was only about half an hour before the lights started coming on. At first, Seshe was mildly confused. A single light in the window of a few houses, then lights in more houses, and then even more until nearly the entire street had a single bright light in a window. Then it clicked. Candles. They were lighting candles for Lucrius. 

Seshe walked straight to a bar. He’d never been a big drinker when he was on the planet, but he still knew the way. He settled into a back booth and got a bottle of wine. It only took a moment for his server to come back with a glass and the bottle, giving him nervous looks as he paid. Seshe ignored him and poured himself a glass. He couldn’t think about Lucrius tonight. He couldn’t.

~~~~~

It took Seshe two and a half hours to drink most of the bottle, and by the time he started walking back to Rahjen and Bella’s place he was swaying. He paused about halfway back, squinting a little bit as candles started going out.

“No, stop,” he muttered, watching as a man blew out a candle in his living room window. “Stop. They’re not for you.” He glanced down the street, and was mildly horrified to see more going out at the same time. Why? Why were they all going out? Maybe it was the alcohol muddling his mind, maybe it was the grief resurfacing, but for some ridiculous reason he felt like he needed to keep them from going out. He needed the lights.

“Stop!” he shouted, reaching out as another candle went out. Someone on the street turned toward him.

“Sir, are you okay?” she asked. He flinched, glanced at her, and quickly started to walk away with his face turned down. If he didn’t see the lights go, he could pretend they were still there. They could still be there. But he the next time he glanced up the street he couldn’t see a single candle, only house and street lights. Suddenly, Seshe felt very alone, and very cold. He curled in on himself and hurried back to the house.

“Are you okay?” Bella asked with slight alarm when she saw the look on his face.

“I…I…” he stood there and stared at her for a moment, unsure what to say. “Goodnight,” he managed, turning and walking to the guest bedroom. He shut and locked the door before sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Lucrius…”

Seshe couldn’t stay after that first day. He left and threw himself back into hunting down the man who took the one man he’d ever…he couldn’t stay.

~~~~~

He should have pulled the trigger.

“Where is he?” Seshe asked, patience wearing thin.

“I can’t just give out information about my clients, do you know how quick half of ‘em would leave?” the woman asked with a roll of her eyes. Her patience was wearing, too. He could tell he couldn’t push her much more.

“Fine. Just think about what I said. I’ll leave a way to contact me. Ask for Bluebell,” he said with a scowl, scribbling down one of his numbers. She barely glanced at the paper as he handed it to her.

“Take him,” she said, waving a vague hand. One of her bodyguards stepped up next to him, grabbing his arm.

“Hands off,” Seshe snapped, ripping his arm out of the guard’s grasp. Her eyes twitched, but she gestured for him to go ahead of her out the door.

“I don’t think so,” he snorted. “You go ahead of me, I follow.” She scoffed as she went through the door. Seshe trailed her, eyeing her cautiously. 

When they got back outside Seshe relaxed slightly and started heading toward his shuttle. Then he felt something touch the back of his head.

“Why were you asking about clients?” the guard asked lowly. Seshe turned very, very slowly. The muzzle of the gun dragged across his skull as he turned and he glanced at her.

“Why do you want to know?” he asked. Her lip twitched. “Ah, you’re getting paid by one of her clients, aren’t you?” Her finger slid to the trigger and she pulled the gun to the side, shooting right next to his ear.

Seshe gasped at the sudden pain in his skull, the ringing in his ears.

“Kuril doesn’t take lightly to people looking into his business.” He could barely hear her, mostly knowing what she said from the way her lips moved.

“I’m not looking for that two-bit gangster!” he shouted angrily.

“Better safe than sorry,” she said, briefly glancing at her omnitool.

He should have pulled the trigger. He lost Lucrius because he didn’t. He wasn’t going to lose the chance to avenge him.

Seshe pulled out his gun and shot her right in the chest. There wasn’t a scream, wasn’t a dramatic burst of blood. All the air in her lungs came out in a pained gasped as she staggered and fell, gun dropping from her fingers. Seshe’s eyes widened as she collapsed. A puddle of blood started to pool underneath her as she made horrible, desperate gasps. It was like she couldn’t get any air in her. Seshe stared down at her until she stopped moving, saliva and blood trailing down her cheeks as her eyes went dull. 

Seshe turned and vomited. 

How could he do that? How could he just kill someone after a lifetime of working toward peace, never so much as raising a hand at anyone?

Seshe hoped that would be the last time he ever hurt someone, let alone killed them. But deep down, he knew he’d do it again. He’d do it for Luc.

~~~~~

He got closer, though it took a long time. He managed to get the killer’s face off a camera in the city by following the trail he left fleeing the murder. When he kept flashing that photo, he started getting answers. It was three years and two months after prince Lucrius died that Seshe managed to track the killer down to a single star system, a single planet, a single country, a single town.

Seshe ended up in the bar the first night there. It took more for him to get drunk, and Lisylra kept telling him to stop drinking altogether. He’d stop when he was done. When he was finally done. But that wasn’t tonight.

Seshe was halfway to plastered, downing shot after shot. It had started as gathering intel, and turned into seeing how much the bartender was going to let him have.

Seshe felt someone slide onto the stool next to him. He glanced over, and saw a figure in a headscarf and hood. Seshe’s eyes narrowed.

“Well, hello stranger,” they purred. “What’s a man like you doing drinking like that? The only person who downs liquor like that is someone running from something.”

**Author's Note:**

> Want more of my work? Check me out at [caitninja ](http://caitninja.tumblr.com/)on Tumblr!
> 
> Want a continuation of this story or something entirely new? Check out [this page!](http://caitninja.tumblr.com/post/166332102140/commissions%20)


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